The Surprising Side of 39 Familiar Things

There are many things around us that have hidden sides we don’t normally get to see. For example – did you know that the tiger’s skin also has stripes? Or that the Easter Island heads actually have bodies?

Here is a compiled list of photos revealing the hidden side of things that surround us. From unique crystal formations to strange animals, we’re sure some of these things will make your jaw drop. See the photos in the gallery below and don’t forget to check out more here!

#1 This Is What A Cleaned Heart Looks Like

No, this is not an actual heart of a ghost – it’s a human heart, prepared for transplantation by draining all blood and cleaning it from all donor cells, leaving just a protein scaffold. The recipient’s stem cells will be injected into this heart so it wouldn’t be rejected.

#2 The Giant Heads Of Easter Island Do Have Bodies

We’ve all probably seen pictures of the mysterious Easter Island heads, traditionally called ‘moai’. They have been carved between 1100 and 1500 AD by ancient Polynesians and not many people know they did not just carve the heads – they also carved the bodies.

#3 This Is What A Baby Flamingo Looks Like

At first glance, you might this is just a baby duckling with very fabulous legs – but it’s actually a tiny baby flamingo! The babies are fed bright red milk from their parents’ digestive tracts and with time begin developing their signature pink color. The adults feed on red and blue-green algae that are rich in beta carotene, an organic chemical with a lot of orange pigment. When the beta carotene is digested, the pigment is dissolved into fat and deposited into new feathers, turning them pink.

#4 Grains Of Salt Under Electron Microscope

No, this is not a shot of a bunch of Rubik’s cubes before being painted – it’s an extreme close-up of a table salt crystal. Salt is made up of sodium and chloride atoms, that when joined, form a cube-shaped crystal.

#5 Aurora Of Different Planets

An aurora, often called the Northern lights, is a natural light display in the Earth’s sky, commonly seen in high-latitude regions. They occur when solar wind interacts with the magnetic field surrounding the planet and compresses it into a teardrop shape. The charged particles from the magnetic field the accelerate into the upper atmosphere, collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules and give off energy in the form of light. Did you know Earth is not the only place where they occur?